American acquitted of paying for sex with minor

Mr Payton Scott Velo, 45, said "it's like you were in a coma for 14 months and suddenly you wake up and you realise a year of your life has gone that you can never get back". -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

By Hoe Pei Shan

An American whose life was turned upside down after he was accused of paying for sex with a minor, expressed his relief after the charge was dropped yesterday.

Former senior manager Payton Scott Velo, 45, who maintained that the allegation was false, was visibly emotional as he walked out of court after getting an effective acquittal yesterday.

"It's like you were in a coma for 14 months and suddenly you wake up and you realise a year of your life has gone that you can never get back," said Mr Velo, who attempted suicide after being charged last year.

"It's a hard allegation to get past... The plans are to recover, and I don't know what that means, to be honest, at this point," he told The Straits Times.